Arc 4: What families entail
Road to a hero:
Three chances in another world
Chapter 6. Atop the snowy mountain
Ryo wraps Gray's injured fist with bandages while Gray sips on tea.
Gray: “Y’know I was never a tea guy until now. It’s like the only sugary drink here.”
Ryo: “I am quite a fan of sugary snacks, same with my tea."
Gray: “I can tell this tea is super sweet.”
Ryo: “There ya go, all bandaged up!”
Gray: “This is gonna hurt for a bit. Can I put my clothes back on now?”
Ryo: “Later…We are going back outside.”
Gray: “Please don’t tell me I’m gonna punch more boulders.”
Ryo: “No, we are going to go hunt.”
Gray: “I was never a fan of hunting y’know, watching an animal die…it hurts more than watching a person die.”
Ryo: “Thank you…that answer was perfect. But they’re animals in the forest that are a danger to people.”
Gray: “Alright then…let’s go.”
Ryo: “Here take this.”
Ryo tosses Gray a bow and a quiver full of arrows.
Gray: “I don’t know how to use this…”
Ryo: “Then I’ll teach yah, surprising Gordon didn’t teach you.”
Gray: “I just didn’t ask.”
Ryo: “Well I’ll do it for yah then, it’ll teach you to focus and control. Perfect for you. If you do well in the cold then I’ll let you put shorts and a shirt on.”
Gray: “You better not be a creep or anything…but I’ll take you up on your offer. I’m gonna get frostbite at this rate.”
They enter the snow-filled forest. Gray struggles to continue in the cold being unable to push through the thick snow.
Gray {I wonder…}
Gray flows a small amount of mana throughout his body, warming it up.
Gray: “Hey it worked!”
Ryo: “I wondered when you would try that.”
Gray: “It’s not much…*shiver*...but it works so I’ll take it.”
Gray spots big tracks in the snow that lead further down the mountain.
Gray: “Hey Ryo I found something.”
Ryo: “Nice good eye, now what do you notice about the tracks.”
Gray: “They feel warm so they’re recent. And they’re big so the beast might be strong.”
Ryo: “Now what?”
Gray: “We track it?”
Ryo: “If that’s what you want to do. Is it what you want to do?”
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Gray: “Yes…and I’ll try and kill it if it’s dangerous.”
Ryo: “Alright then, lead on.”
They continue to walk in the snow, Gray no longer struggling from the cold due to the heat of the mana.
Gray {I vowed to protect my friends…and they’re doing the dangerous part of this mission while I’m safe training. What a joke…no, no I’m not gonna sit here and bitch about myself…I’m gonna finish my part, I have faith they can finish their job. They are strong, they are smart, and they are my friends. And I need to stand up to those facts myself. This is how I’ll be better.}
They hear grunts near them, crushes of tree branches, and wounded animal cries.
Gray: “*whispers* Over there.”
Ryo: “__”
Gray sees a big Gray monster about to eat a wounded boar.
Gray: “A troll… freaky.”
Ryo: “Do you feel like you should kill this animal?”
Gray: “It’s going to kill that boar…so yeah.”
Ryo: “But we can not eat Troll meat, though we can eat boar meat.”
Gray: “Still…we need to kill that troll…”
Ryo: “For doing the same thing that we’re doing?”
Gray: “Should I kill him or not then!?”
Ryo: “It’s up to you.”
Gray takes a deep breath and then pulls an arrow out of his quiver. He aims the bow at the two animals. He exhales, putting mana onto the arrow to heighten its strength and then releases the bow string. The arrow whistles through the air landing in its target.
Ryo: “Surprising choice.”
The arrow killed the boar instantly, saving it from a terrible death the troll. The troll looks over to see the two standing behind a tree. The monster roars and then proceeds to run after the two.
Gray strands are strong and fearless while Ryo stands and watches.
Gray {I’m not good enough with a bow to be able to fire this quickly! No…Gray, you can do it…I CAN DO IT!}
Gray shouts at the troll before quickly firing an arrow right into the troll's neck slowing it down. It gives Gray an opening that he takes advantage of properly.
Gray {Common focus… mana throughout the body…}
Gray leaps up the tree, using the height average to shoot another arrow right into the troll's head stunning the beast.
Gray {Alright now again…if my math is right, mana overdrive takes around half or a third of my mana, so I can handle it. OVERDRIVE SHOT!}
Gray shoots the overly enhanced arrow straight through the head of the troll killing the beast. Gray proceeds to hop out of the tree and land on the troll's dead body.
Ryo: “That was very impressive Gray. Your level of mana control is far better than I expected, and you have excellent reflexes. I expected you to try and fight it head-on, but you used your surroundings and resources accordingly. Well done.”
Gray: “I understand my lack of skill…every big fight I’ve been in…it’s like I’m cannon fodder…or rushing in at the last second to beat the bad guy. But the one time I’m emotionless…when I lose myself… I win. The first person I ever killed…I only won because I was fast and decisive, I didn’t think and I just did.”
Ryo: “That is an excellent trait to have. A useful soldier will stand strong in the face of an enemy no matter how weak he is. So the fact that you can push your fears away and act already makes you a good fighter. I have a question…did you feel bad when you killed the man you speak of?”
Gray: “I mean…not really…but he was a kid so I should feel kinda bad…but I just don’t. I have no idea why…”
Ryo: “You will have to figure that out on your own…some people just aren’t affected by the act of taking a life. That might just be the line you fall under.”
Gray: “Okay…thank you.”
Gray reassures himself, he then takes back the arrows he can before walking over to the boar.
Ryo: “Why did you decide to kill the boar too?”
Gray: “We aren't saints…we need it to survive and it was going to die a worse death if I didn’t intervene. Now we can use its carcass for whatever we need. Whether it is food or a blanket.
Ryo hands Gray a small sharp knife.
Ryo: “Here you take what you think you need.”
Gray: “I think it would be easier to do this back at the house…so I won’t have to carry individual parts.”
Ryo: “Good thinking. You have earned your clothes privileges.”
Gray: “Man that’s creepy.”
Ryo: "Actually, I agree. I'm not the best or experienced of teachers, my apologies."
Gray picks up the boar's body and they walk back to the cabin.
Ryo: “You seem to have some skill with that bow.”
Gray: “I learned with some throwing knives that if you enhance the power of something enough you don’t need to have much skill with it. I don’t know how to use a bow…like the wind messing with the arrow or how high I should aim it up to think of it falling. Since it’s so strong it just flies straight.”
Ryo: “Smart, I think you downplay yourself when you talk of your skill.”
Gray: “I’m not some prodigy or something… I just got lucky with my mana.”
Ryo: “Don’t say luck is the reason for your ability. You made it work, and you just got a little help from the spirits. I’d say you used their blessings as intended, so you earned your power in the end.”
Gray: “Thanks for that…it means a lot.”
Ryo: “Of course.”
They finally arrive back at the cabin. Gray takes the boar into the cabin, then enters a side room meant for preparing animals. He sets the animal on the cutting table, he then prepares himself to skin it.
Ryo: “Do you feel that you can do it? I would understand if you can’t.”
Gray: “Can you do it for me?”
Ryo: “I can not.”
Gray: “Can you tell me what to do?”
Ryo: “I can tell you the way I do it. First, cut the head off and put it on a hook, then let the blood flow out of the body. We can then come back when it has let all its blood out and finish skinning it.”
Gray takes a breath before cutting into the boar's neck. Almost throwing up, he struggles to keep going, but Ryo stands still and focued, giving Gray the motivation to keep going. He focuses mana onto the blade for a finer cut almost instinctively, cutting through the skin and bone effortlessly. And in an instant, the head is removed.
Gray: “I did it.”
Ryo: “That you did. Now place the head over there and hang the body up on those hooks.”
Gray follows Ryo's orders, even if it makes his stomach jump into his throat before he walks back into the cabin's main room.
Ryo: “There is a hot spring in the small cave opening behind the cabin. It’s the reason I built this cabin here so use it to your heart's content. I’ll supply you with towels and a place to rest.”
Gray: “REALLY! I mean…sure, thank you.”
Gray walks out of the cabin and enters the entrance to the hot spring. Removing the bandages on his hand along with his underwear. The hot steam causes all pain from Gray’s body to dissipate. Gray sighs, closing his eyes and losing himself in thought.
Gray {Ryo is strange…he doesn't come off as strong or hostile…completely different from Gordon, Musashi, or Kioshi. He’s nice, he’s calm. But something's off so far. He asks so many questions…and never gives a straight answer. I’m going to be up here for a while…with this guy, this is gonna be an experience. Rosemary…I hope you’re safe…Soku I hope you’re having fun…Edward, I hope you find Lincoln…and Julius, I hope you scare them more. I'm on a losing streak so far.}
Gray: “I…I will use all the time given to me to make sure I’m useful. I promise you all that. And if you're watching me…Ophelia…Musashi… I’ll make you proud.”
End of Chapter Six.